The drought Since 2012, South Africa has received less rainfall than the average annual rainfall, which is just over 600 mm. Figure 1 shows why 2015 can now officially be declared the driest year in South Africa since the recording of the annual total rainfall began in 1904: Figure 1: The total annual rainfall for South Africa, 19042015 (Source: South African Weather Service, 2015) The information in Figure 1 is mirrored by the Standard Precipitation Index (SPI), which shows deviations from average long-term rainfall patterns. The Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP) explains that the index observes under-average rainfall patterns on a monthly basis and indicates the severity of a drought3. Figure 2 below shows the SPI for South Africa for October, November and December 2015: 3 Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy. (2016). Policy Brief on the 2015/2016 Drought. Available at http://www.bfap.co.za/documents/research%20reports/BFAP_Drought%20Policy%20Brief_5%20Febr uary%202016.pdf.